Do the Vancouver Canucks need to make the playoffs for Jim Benning to keep his job as general manager?

I’ll admit, I don’t know the answer to that question. But what I do know is there are plenty of good reasons to ask it. Benning is in the final year of his contract, and the Canucks are in no rush to hand him an extension. What possibly could they be waiting for?

A few weeks ago, Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini may have provided a clue when he went on the radio and got asked about his GM’s job status.

“With Jim, those contract talks are private, so it’s not something I want to discuss here,” Aquilini said. “(But) I think from what Jim has accomplished in his last 15 games, I think it’s pretty exciting. I think the games have been very entertaining, they’ve been fun to watch as a fan. Every game this year has been competitive.”

At the time, the Canucks were 7-5-2 and playing some decent hockey. They’ve...